Sometimes yarn tells you what it wants to be, and sometimes it just doesn’t. This yarn, a handspun alpaca/merino/silk blend, was definitely destined for hatdom—but what kind? After much negotiation, what you see is the result!

Top-down hats allow you to make adjustments to length after the crown is worked, resulting in a more precise fit. This “onion dome” shape expands to a wider circumference than normal and then pulls in right before the last set of ribbing to be snug at the cuff. It’s a trick taken from tams and berets and applied to a beanie. “Punica” is the genus name for the pomegranate, a hexagonal reddish/orange fruit well known from mythology.

The best thing about this hat, though, is how fast it works up—from cast on to finishing, this should take only a few hours. What a lovely gift for yourself or a loved one!